Our (Un)planned Future
by Anytha84
Summary: Jemma plans to finish her studies and travel to see the world and help people. Fitz wants to finish his studies and go back home to do good for his country. It's all planned out. But once they meet and get to know each other, things start to shift in a completely unexpected direction...
1. Chapter 1

This is my FitzSimmons Secret Santa gift for recoveringrabbit. Her prompt was: arranged marriage AU—or shotgun wedding, whatever; the only thing is it has to be REAL and not something that could be easily gotten out of

To my giftee: I didn't manage to finish the entire story and I hope to have it all done as soon as possible. You're one of the most brilliant writers here and I really hope that my gift will be up to your expectations and that you'll enjoy it as much as I like reading your stories. :)

Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

When Jemma walked into the room, there were a handful of students inside, quietly chattering. She looked around, nodding or waving politely to the people she knew and sat down at a desk in the first row.

She'd been at MIT for almost a month and she was still getting used to it. Jemma was well used to changing universities but it didn't diminish her difficulty in making friends.

At 21, she was one of the youngest students on campus and probably the only one with a PhD in her pocket and another one on its way.

Her parents had always told her to follow her dreams and allow her never-ending curiosity to flow freely. Jemma had thrived in her thirst for knowledge and at sixteen she'd achieved her degree in biochemistry at Oxford and earned a scholarship for a PhD in chemistry at CalTech. At Harvard, she'd gotten a specialization in genetics and now she was at MIT to get a PhD in biology.

She had plans to start travelling after she finished her studies and getting a job that would allow her to really use her brilliance and help people while seeing the world.

Smiling slightly as her long-desired goal came back to her mind, Jemma straightened up in her seat, as Professor Hall came in. He was a rather brilliant and enthusiastic man who made Bio-Mechanics incredibly interesting.

The first two weeks had been enlightening although she still felt a little put out by the stares and lack of real interaction with the other students or colleagues.

She had long learned that being the brightest didn't mean being the most befriended.

Jemma ignored the familiar pang in her chest and was going to raise her hand to ask a question about the formula that Dr. Hall had written on the board when someone knocked at the door and opened it before receiving an answer.

"Sorry, Professor, I'm late," a young man said apologetically and Jemma straightened slightly, her attention drawn away from the board to the newcomer.

He was Scottish: his accent was a dead giveaway. He was also quite… well, handsome. Light curls that fell over clear blue eyes, a slim build and a nice face. He was young too; Jemma estimated that he had to be around her age.

She was wondering if he was a Biology student when the sudden loud chatter in the room distracted her. Apparently, the other students knew him; especially the girls, she'd noticed.

"Mr. Fitz," Dr. Hall greeted the newcomer with a nod and a loud voice to overcome the noise. "Mr. Mackenzie had informed me of your impromptu departure and that you'd join my class with a few weeks delay."

"Yes, sir," Fitz replied, straightening his messenger bag on his shoulder and scratching the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. Jemma studied him, curious about this stranger who she'd never met or seen before, but who made her curious for some reason and want to know more about him. It had to be his accent... or his age.

Fitz' eyes roamed around the room, looking for a free seat. A few girls and boys actually called out his name and gestured to a chair next to them and Jemma noticed how his stare hardened a little as he ignored them.

Was he famous? Could he be some popular student on campus that she'd never heard of? He didn't look like an athlete but more like an assistant with his shirt, jumper and crooked tie, but sports had never been her forte so he _could_ be athletic to some degree.

Puzzled, Jemma kept her stare fixed on the man and jumped slightly when his clear blue eyes met her gaze. She felt as though she was made of glass as he scrutinized her with a look that she couldn't recognize. And then, in a blink of an eye, he looked away but Jemma saw how his face seemed to harden.

She felt a slight flush on her face. Had he noticed her staring and got annoyed by it?

"I don't have the whole day, Mr. Fitz," Dr. Hall chastised, turning to write on the board again. "Do take a seat and let me continue?"

"Yeah… er… Yes, sir," Fitz blushed, stammering an apology and rushed to the first seat available.

Right next to Jemma.

She kept her gaze fixed on the board and tried not to watch him settle down, but it was a bit of a lost battle. She didn't know what it was about him that attracted her attention but she couldn't manage to look away.

He pulled out a notebook filled with papers and blueprints and opened it to a blank page where he started to write in a loopy scrawl. Jemma caught a glimpse of a half-completed schematics of a device and her curiosity was triggered, hundreds of questions popped in her mind. Her questions died in her mouth when he hastily slid the paper away and she saw how his gaze fell on her for a second and then never drifted away from the front of the class or his paper: it was forced, she could see that from his hardened jaw, and she realised that she must have annoyed him somehow.

Fitz cursed under his breath, his accent blurring some letters, and shook the pen in his hand. Apparently, it didn't write anymore and -Jemma noticed- he didn't have another. She bit her lip, eyeing her small pencil case where she had two spare pens and wondered if he would be bothered by-

 _Why_ was she doubting herself so much? Jemma had always been self-assured and she didn't want some unknown man about her age to shatter that. It might be her inner need to make friends that made her yearn for some contact with a peer but she wouldn't let it overcome her attitude.

She quickly took a pen out of her case and handed it to him, putting a cordial smile on her face.

"Here," she whispered. "I have a spare."

Fitz stared at her for a moment, blue eyes wide in surprise and then nodded, taking the pen from her hand. His fingertips brushed her skin and the light contact made a tingle run up her spine.

 _Get a grip_ , she thought to herself. She'd had her share of dates and boyfriends and she shouldn't be behaving like a shy, insecure girl who had a sudden crush on a handsome stranger.

Keeping her smile on place and keeping her emotions in check, she turned back to listen to Dr. Hall's words.

-:-

Fitz started taking notes again with his borrowed pen, half-listening to Dr. Hall as he explained a feature of vibranium in chemical kinetics while his mind berated himself.

He'd missed his chance to talk to _her_.

He stole a glance to his left and saw the amber eyed girl neatly taking notes and listening to Dr. Hall. He tried to be subtle as he observed her, taking in the way her hair framed her face, her soft features and the… the forced smile on her face along with her tense shoulders.

He was a prick: it was official.

He hadn't meant to be harsh or impolite… But he'd been taken by surprise to _actually_ see her in the only bio-lab class he had.

All the other courses of his PhD were practical computer or engineering labs and he was already ahead in all of them. Biology had never been his forte: too many bodily fluids and living elements for his taste but Bio-Mechanics had seemed quite interesting and Dr. Hall was an expert in his field.

Fitz just wanted to know and learn things so that he'd be capable in his job in the future.

He'd accepted the scholarship at MIT in Mechanics because he'd imagined that it would be a good specialization for his engineering degree.

He had expected the attention when people would notice his family name and his origins; his country had become famous in Europe and was quickly expanding its fame worldwide.

He had expected -and had been extremely weary- of the fame that his name had acquired and how people suddenly wanted to befriend him and get to know him better. At first, it had been embarrassing, then slightly flattering but now it was downright irritating.

Fitz had hoped, growing up, that he'd really find friends but all he'd had were jealous classmates, arrogant colleagues and shallow strangers who wanted something from him.

His uncle Robert had always warned him that people might want to take advantage of his wealth; so young Fitz, an engineering prodigy and heir to a throne that had become an important power in the world of electronics, had grown up sheltering his heart from being hurt after too many bad experiences during his childhood. He'd grown up cautious and tended to study people before getting to know them.

His only friends were Bobbi, Hunter and Mack who were his confidants, bodyguards and professional soundboards.

And that was why _she_ was a complete surprise: the amber-eyed girl.

He'd first seen her on campus on a late afternoon and she'd walked past him while speaking on the phone. Her English accent had immediately stood out and he was reminded of home. Then, seconds later, he'd noticed how outstandingly pretty she was as she laughed and disappeared in the crowd. She was burnt in his mind and he couldn't help but look around for her.

He saw her another handful of times and he would always catch another little detail: the colour of her eyes, the way she walked or smiled, how she seemed to be around his age and seemed to be extremely intelligent, judging by the books she carried; he actually searched for her around campus whenever he had a chance.

But he never talked to her.

The little seed of confidence that he had gained in his years studying in America vanished when he thought about speaking to her.

And today he'd mucked it up.

She had been staring at him and he'd noticed the puzzled look in her eyes. It suddenly hit him that she didn't know who he was and it was like the best _and_ worst news for him. He was used to having people know who he was.

He could attempt to talk to her without her being biased … But then again, _why_ would a girl like her even _want_ to talk to someone like him?

Fitz had taken a seat next to her because it was the best spot and he'd been so flustered that he hadn't realised how he had hidden his partial designs and ignored her rather than being a decent person and introducing himself.

And yet, she'd lent him a pen and been kind although he'd made her uncomfortable.

"So, who knows the answer?"

Dr. Hall's voice made Fitz start: he'd been lost in his thoughts for a while now. She raised her hand and explained the method to solve the equation that Dr. Hall had written down in a clear and detailed way. Fitz was quite impressed: he wouldn't have done better.

"Exceptional as always, Dr. Simmons," the professor praised her and the girl smiled slightly. Fitz' brow raised at the title and she turned just in that moment before looking away quickly, body tensing again.

Gorgeous, kind and smart…

Why did she have to be so bloody perfect? And why did he have to be such a bloody moron?

When the class ended, they hadn't exchanged a word to each other but had been the only ones to answer all of Dr. Hall's questions.

Fitz packed his bag and got up, ready to leave, when he realised that he still had her pen. He turned to his side and saw that Simmons was leaving the room. Without thinking much, he darted outside and looked for her in the crowd.

He heard a loud 'Jemma' and turned around just in time to see her wave at a short-haired brunette and a dark, muscular man before walking away.

Clutching the pen in his hand, Fitz sighed and walked the opposite way until he realised something.

Simmons. Jemma.

 _Jemma Simmons._

He finally knew her name.

-:-

"So, what's bothering you?"

Jemma looked up from her plate where she had been playing with her salad and raised a brow at her friend, Daisy in query. The hacker-turned-computer science-student rolled her eyes.

"You're spearing that salad as though it had just insulted your new, super intelligent work," the brunette commented. "And then you look as though you've just kicked someone's puppy and I don't know which of the two things is least possible to happen."

Jemma scoffed, brushing a curl of hair out of her face and trying not to seem guilty as Daisy had nailed her exact state of mind. Trust the girl to be so perceptive.

"So...?" Daisy leaned forward on the table, pushing away her food tray. Jemma realised that the girl had long finished her lunch and she didn't even remember seeing her eat it. And then she noticed that it was just the two of them at their table outside in the park near campus.

"Where's Trip?" She asked, looking around for the history student. Daisy rolled her eyes.

"He left ten minutes ago, giving us some girl-talk time before going to class," she replied, swiping her phone's screen and sending a message at lightning speed. "He noticed as well that you're not... well, yourself."

"Oh..." Jemma moved her hands to her neck. "I didn't even notice that he'd left. That was so rude of me." She genuinely liked the man with his easygoing smile and was extremely happy that he and Daisy had started dating a few months ago.

"Nah..." Daisy waved her hand as though she could brush away her thoughts. "You know Trip: he just grinned and told me to talk to you." The brunette smiled warmly and Jemma couldn't help but feel a little pang of envy in her chest.

Something must have transpired on her face because Daisy put her phone away and looked at her.

"Alright," she said. "You've got to tell me what's wrong. If I hadn't known you since you got here, I'd say you're crushing on a-" The face of the Scottish student popped in her mind and Jemma had to look away, biting her lip. Daisy's eyes widened. "Oh my God! You totally are crushing on someone! Who is it? Why didn't I know anything about this already?!"

Jemma bit her lip, feeling immensely ridiculous and blushed furiously.

"I'm not- I don't-" She stammered but Daisy didn't stop smiling and leaned forward on the table.

"Come on, Jemma!"

The biochemist huffed in defeat and stared at the girl in front of her. In the month that they'd known each other, Daisy had become her closest friend. Her warm and outgoing personality was like a balm to Jemma's hidden loneliness and they'd learned to confide in each other. Jemma knew about Daisy's past as an orphan before finding a loving home at the Coulsons when she was sixteen and had hacked her way into the university's server to learn more. Philip Coulson, Dean of MIT, hadn't reported the teenager but had given her a scholarship and, after he and his wife Audrey had gotten to know Daisy, had taken her into his house.

Jemma had trusted her friend with her inner fears of being an outcast, of not knowing how to show how much she cared for the people she loved and of missing her family, barely seeing her parents and sister since she'd left Sheffield years ago.

Perhaps, Daisy wouldn't laugh at Jemma's sudden attraction to a man she'd never met before today but that seemed so similar to her. It wasn't just his looks and accent or the way he seemed to be brilliant -almost _too_ brilliant for his age, just like her.

There was something more that made her want to get to know him and the thought that she might have lost that opportunity with her lack of social interaction made something in her chest clench painfully; worse, she wondered if she was just reading him wrong as she recalled the way he had stared at her when Dr. Hall had mentioned her doctorate.

Would he be like some people that she had met and be surprised that she was that intelligent for a woman? Or would he be intimidated by her?

Sighing softly, Jemma looked at Daisy and explained her meeting with Fitz.

-:-

"So, what's going on?"

Fitz looked up from his notepad, pencil in his hand, and frowned at Bobbi who was sitting in front of him in the small pub where they'd decided to have dinner.

The blonde didn't even bat an eye at his dark look and finished her soda before levelling him with a stare that nearly made Fitz want to apologize for whatever wrong he hadn't committed.

If he hadn't known Bobbi for years, he'd have run away in fear as well.

"What?" he asked, putting his notepad away and twirling the pencil in his fingers. "What are you talking about?"

Bobbi smirked.

"You do remember that I'm a trained CIA agent and a biochemist, right?" she stated, leaning in her seat. "You're giving me at least, ten different clues that you're hiding something."

"I'm not-"

"You are," Bobbi tilted her head and smiled. "Come on, Fitz. _Hunter_ noticed that something was off and you know how thick-skulled he is. And, let me say, the last hours with you -especially our quiet dinner- have been as entertaining as being with Hunter so..."

Frowning again, Fitz put the pencil down and sighed through his teeth. There was a part of him that wanted to talk and just ask for advice but the part that wanted to stew in his moodiness won over.

"Alright, old grump," Bobbi remarked, after a few moments of silence. "I'll just state the facts here and let's see if you'll talk. You're not talking or complaining about stupid classes or students, which you've done every time you take a new course." She raised her fingers as she continued with her list. "You're not complaining about the two weeks you've spent back home dealing with all the meetings with other companies. You're not complaining about Robert being a pain for giving you more decisions to make or about Victoria being a harpy for wanting to do budget cuts somewhere." Fitz groaned and buried his head in his arms and he heard Bobbi chuckle softly.

Bobbi and Hunter had stayed in America while he'd gone back home with Mack and Fitz had missed having them around because he couldn't vent his frustrations to anyone.

The two had spent their Fitz-free vacation in the apartment that the three of them shared at Cambridge and Fitz honestly didn't know what they'd done in those days. They seemed to be taking their undercover identities as uni students seriously: Bobbi was a brilliant biology student and Hunter managed to be a history student, so he assumed they had spent time at uni.

"I know that it's not about your mother since the doctors have said that she's still stable." Her tone had changed to a more gentle note and he peeked up at her through his arms. Bobbi was smiling in that soft way that had made him trust her back when he was sixteen and his uncle had told him that the twenty year old woman would be his guards and tutor. She'd taught him some combat techniques when he showed interest and said that even a genius prince had to be badass and know how to fight; she'd become his confidant when his mum fell ill a few years ago and had talked him into continuing his career rather than giving everything up. She was like the older sister he'd never had.

"So... since you're not complaining about anything, it means that you've either done something stupid-" Fitz snorted. "But since Hunter was at class, he's not involved and you mess up while you're with him usually-"

Fitz had to grin at that. Hunter had become his second bodyguard and friend when he came to America with Bobbi and Mack. The three already knew each other and Fitz had immediately noticed the tension between the Englishman and the blonde. He'd later learned that Bobbi and Hunter were the only people he knew that could argue, fight and then make up in embarrassingly effusive ways, thinking that no one would see them.

That explained why Mack had gotten another apartment for himself.

"-or you're thinking about your amber-eyed girl again."

Fitz blushed and buried his face in his arms again. Bobbi laughed loudly.

"I _so_ have to teach you how to go through an interrogation without showing everything on your face," she remarked.

"Whoever would want to interrogate me?" he complained despite himself, moving his head up. He blanched as he thought about it. "You know what: don't answer that." And then he rehearsed her sentence in his head. "Wait a moment... How do you know about-?"

"Amber-eyed girl?" Bobbi repeated. "Oh, seriously, you thought I wouldn't find out? You didn't want to tell me anything but you mentioned a girl to _Hunter_ , of all people, and you thought that _I_ wouldn't know?"

Fitz felt his face go into flames. Damn Hunter... He'd promised that he'd keep his mouth shut!

"Well... in the idiot's defence, he just told me the nickname he's given your girl," Bobbi said slowly, making him look at her again. "You're quite secretive about your crush-"

"I _don't_ have a cru-"

"Not a word about what she looks like, not a hint beside the colour of her eyes..." Bobbi smirked again. "I'm quite impressed."

Fitz had to fight the urge to say something very unflattering and just scowled. Bobbi wasn't affected by it at all.

"What happened today, hmm?" she asked, resting her chin on her palm. "You didn't just see her... I'd guess you're in the same class and-"

A flash of Simmons' face, tense as she averted her gaze came to his mind and made his heart clench.

"I upset her," Fitz blurted out and Bobbi's eyes widened.

"What?"

"I... I behaved as I do when- when I'm around people that I don't..." He looked at Bobbi with a chagrined face.

"When you're with people that you don't know," she said with a nod and then smiled slightly. "Or that you don't trust yet..." He nodded. "You're just shy, Fitz. I mean... you're quite the talker once you get to know somebody and you're also adorably sweet." Fitz blushed. "You just stared at her, didn't you? Didn't say a word and behaved as though you were some cold, unaffected grump?" Fitz buried his head in his hands. God, did she think that he was cold? Some spoiled royal brat maybe? And if she truly didn't know who he was, maybe she thought that he was just some bloody git.

"Well, she might think it's an act," Bobbi remarked. " You know, with you being -well, _you_. I'm sure that if you manage to string a few words together next time and-"

"I think she doesn't know me," Fitz mumbled.

"What?" Bobbi sat straighter and stared at him. "How is that even possible? Everyone on campus knows you after that journalist blabbed about you last year." Mack had been furious about the news leak and had had some of their lawyers take care of the matter. Fitz still didn't know what had happened to the man... "So... She must have probably transferred here and-" Bobbi paused. "You know, I could find out who she is, checking all the transfer students' records. I could give you a name finally..."

"I know her name." He couldn't help but smile at the little victory in his quest to know his amber-eyed girl. Bobbi looked at him with a odd gaze -fond almost- before grinning.

"Yeah?" she asked and he nodded.

"Simmons. Dr. Jemma Simmons," he said and the blonde's eyes widened.

"Hey, I know her!" Fitz almost fell off his chair.

" _What?!_ "

-:-

"How the hell didn't you know who Fitz is?"

Jemma sat on the sofa of her shared dorm with Daisy, eyes wide as she took in the web pages and pictures that her friend kept opening on her laptop.

The brunette had spluttered in surprise when Jemma had told her of meeting Fitz, wondering if she'd annoyed him somehow and blushing over a tiny little crush. Daisy had to leave for class and couldn't stay to talk more but she had left Jemma with the promise that she'd know everything about Fitz by dinner.

And there they were.

Apparently, her handsome stranger was _very_ famous.

Her classmate was Prince Leopold Fitzgerald II, heir to the throne of Ossetia, a small independent kingdom in Europe, an island close to Scotland, that had acquired great importance in the past years because of the abundance of minerals and silicates that were fundamental in the electronic components of modern technology. Jemma had heard that a few veins of vibranium had been found in some of the mines too and multimillionaire and businessman, Tony Stark had wanted to make agreements with the kingdom for it.

Jemma avidly read the small biography that Daisy had found. The prince was an only child; his father, a handsome man that shared Fitz' blue eyes, had died when he was ten from an illness and his mother, a Scottish woman -that explained the accent- had reigned alongside the former king's brother, Robert. Queen Elanor had fallen ill a couple of years ago and and her son had taken over despite being barely over twenty, guiding the kingdom with his uncle and the Prime Minister, Victoria Hand until he was crowned.

And then, Jemma found all their similarities.

"Fitz' just like you," Daisy commented, grinning at her. "Child genius, graduated early, got a degree, a PhD and some other title before turning twenty." She poked Jemma's side. "And now you're both here to get your second PhD." Jemma swatted her finger away but couldn't ignore the voice in her head that agreed with her friend.

They were similar despite having chosen different fields. Could they be friends? Could he know what it meant like to feel an outsider constantly? To be treated differently because of your age or intelligence?

Daisy didn't notice her silence and went on talking about the man.

"Did you know that he'd here in America under a pseudonym?" she remarked. "He goes by Leo Fitz -not much of pseudonym I have to say- and no one knew about him until some guy from _The Villager_ started hanging around here last year and wrote an article about him. He's been famous ever since."

Jemma nodded absently, comprehending his detached behaviour now. It wasn't her staring (she hoped). He must have thought that she was one crazy student ogling at a prince. He was probably weary of the unwanted attention.

"He usually hangs out with Bobbi Morse, a biology doctorate that looks like a top model-" Jemma tensed slightly at that. "-and her boyfriend Lance Hunter, a history student. Trip talks with him sometimes: they're about the same age." Daisy looked thoughtful for a moment, not noticing how Jemma had relaxed. "I honestly don't think that guy's a student. I had a class with him and he didn't even know how to type at a normal speed on his computer!" She looked scandalised and Jemma laughed. "I bet that he's Fitz' bodyguard or something."

"Couldn't he just be his friend?" Jemma queried, absently going through a few websites where Fitz' academic feats were listed. Her gaze fell on a list of devices that Ossetia's major company, _Fitz Electronics,_ were starting to test and build.

"Yeah... that too," Daisy conceded. "But they're so different."

"Like me and you?" Jemma teased and her friend grinned at her.

"Yeah, you two are alike in that as well," Daisy smiled. "You know, I've talked with Fitz once while waiting outside a classroom. He's a nice guy and seems so normal, not like a prince and doesn't seem to want all the fame and attention. I'm pretty sure that he was acting weird today because he just got back from Ossetia and everyone was fawning over him."

"You're pretty well-informed about him," Jemma noticed.

"It's gossip, Jemma. Of course, I have to know! Fitz is our celebrity." The brunette turned towards her. "And don't tell me that you don't like knowing more about your crush."

"He's not my crush!" Jemma blushed a bright red. "I was just curious!"

"Yeah, yeah... Tell me that once you're the queen of Ossetia."

Jemma tossed a cushion at her and Daisy laughed, ducking.

-:-

When she got to Bio-Mechanics, a few days later, Jemma found a small package at her desk. It was her pen, wrapped in a scrap of blueprints.

Fitz was sitting right next to her, despite all the available seats, and was busy reading something in his notebook. She noticed that the tip of his ears were bright red and that his eyes seemed to be fixed on one particular point.

She smiled, feeling something warm curl in her stomach as she sat down. She carefully unfurled the blueprint wrapping, taking in the fragment of a design -was it a delivery mechanism?- when she saw a small note scribbled in a corner.

 _Thank you for the pen and sorry for being quite rude to you the other day. I honestly didn't mean to._

 _Leo Fitz_

Jemma blinked at the note and couldn't stop the smile on her face. She glanced at him but he was still stubbornly pretending to read. Biting her lip, Jemma took out a clean sheet of paper and quickly wrote down something.

-:-

Fitz had followed Bobbi's advice, thinking that it had been a good idea: be honest, take small steps and try to engage in a conversation.

All in all, now that he'd done it and waited for a response, Fitz felt like a fool. What sort of bloody idiot would scribble a note that a child would write and pretend to read when the girl he wanted to talk to was right there next to him?

He was tempted to get up and leave, possibly hoping that the ground might swallow him whole, when a slip of paper was gently deposited on his notebook. He looked up just in time to see Simmons turn her head, her cheeks a light pink.

Blinking in confusion and feeling his heart race slightly, Fitz opened the note.

 _No need to apologize. I should have been less blatant in my staring: I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable._

Fitz couldn't believe his eyes. She thought that she was making him-

He almost missed the last line, written at the end.

 _I'm Jemma, by the way._

He swallowed and quickly scribbled a reply before pushing the note towards her. It was a simple line.

 _I know. I've read your thesis on crystalline nucleation: it was fascinating._

Fitz had spent an entire night going through everything he could find on Jemma Simmons. Bobbi had read her works and had given him all the links and articles. Fitz couldn't believe that he'd met someone that was so brilliant.

Dr. Hall walked into the room that very moment and Fitz expected her to put the note away but she didn't. He saw her read it and felt a wave of elation when her eyes brightened.

She turned to him with a smile and leaned closer.

"Really?" she whispered softly and he caught a waft of lavender as he nodded quickly. She seemed surprised and he didn't understand how someone couldn't be impressed by her.

"Yes," he replied sincerely and her smile blinded him.

"I read about your drones and all your designs: they are amazing." Pride trickled through him at her praise and he grinned. "I-I think that you could make the drones work better if you adjusted some parameters in the forensic analysis."

Fitz' eyes widened as she started listing a series of small modifications in his calculations. He didn't say anything and when she finished, she tucked her hair behind her ear, looking bashful.

He was sure that his smile was impossibly wide. It was the first time that someone suggested a change in one of his designs, that someone could keep up and actually brainstorm with him.

"Tell me more," he said softly. "I- we can work on it. Or talk about it."

Simmons beamed and pulled out another sheet of paper while he riffled through his notebook to find an old design.

They spent the class listening to Dr. Hall and quietly whispering and talking about his drones. When they left the room, they were both grinning and their minds were full of ideas.

But most of all, they both knew that they'd found someone special.

* * *

Please, leave a review... :)


	2. Chapter 2

This took me forever to write but I hope that it's up to everyone's expectations. Especially my giftee, recoveringrabbit!  
The story got longer (in my head mostly and a bit on my files), so it will be of five chapters.  
Hope you guys like it! :)

Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this and that helps through my writer's block. :)

* * *

 _Chapter 2_

"So, how are things going with your amber-eyed girl?"

Fitz almost choked on his toast as Hunter sat down next to him in their kitchen with a grin that was way too knowing.

"What?" He asked, taking a sip of tea and trying to be nonchalant. He realised that he was not convincing since Hunter smirked.

"You're not looking for her all around the place like lost puppy or a stalker," Hunter remarked, stealing some toast from the Fitz's plate before he could protest. "And Bob told me that you finally talked to the girl last week."

Fitz blushed. God, why did he have two bodyguards who were also terrible gossips?

"Yeah, we talked," he admitted. "We're lab partners."

"Oh is that how you call it now?"

"Hunter, for godsake..."

"Just kidding, mate." The man grinned. "So... how are things going?"

"We're friends and lab partners," Fitz replied, trying to finish his breakfast.

"And...?"

"And that's it. I'm happy like that."

"That's a bloody lie. I saw the way you looked at her even without knowing her."

"Well, now I know her and she's the most brilliant person I know. I like being her friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Yeah." Fitz knew that he wasn't convincing but he was trying to keep the thought of being more than friends with Jemma at bay.

Hunter stared at him with an odd look. He wasn't subtle at all but he did have a knack for knowing exactly what another person was thinking.

"You know that being afraid is normal, yeah?" He asked out of the blue.

"I'm not afraid!" Fitz blurted immediately. "I-"

"Just because you're the future king of Ossetia doesn't mean that you have to forget that you're a bloke who can like a girl and-"

"It's not _that_ easy. I have rules to follow." He'd had those rules drilled in his mind since his childhood. Honour, loyalty and, most of all, respect to his country and to the crown that he'd bear in the future were the basis of those rules.

"None of the Ossetian laws forbid you to _date_."

"No but it would be frowned upon if I'm seen -or if it's known- that I'm in a relationship with a woman before being married." Ossetia might be liberal in many ways but there was some close-minded conservatism when it came to the image of the royal family. His own father had faced some reprimands from the ministers when he chose to marry a Scottish duchess rather than opting for an Ossetian lady.

The fact that he'd fallen in love with Fitz' mother didn't seem like a valid reason for some...

"True, there's a whole load of laws that establish how you should get married but nothing against who you want to be with." Fitz looked up in surprise and Hunter shrugged. "Mack forced me to learn all of Ossetia's history and laws since I'm a goddamn history student here. I sort of memorized them."

Fitz let out a short laugh and Hunter grinned again before patting his back and getting up.

"Listen, mate," he said. "Give it a shot, yeah? You like her: don't force yourself into thinking that you don't. You deserve better and a date isn't a marriage proposal."

Fitz nodded absently and watched his friend walk to his room. He quickly finished his breakfast and got up.

He wondered what Hunter and Bobbi would say if they knew that he _was_ trying to sort out his feelings on his own.

He was going to Jemma, without anyone knowing about it, just to spend time with her.

-:-

In a matter of weeks, Jemma realised how much she had missed until now. How had she worked on experiments and projects without a second opinion that questioned her hypothesis? Or added new ones so that her final work was more thorough and complete?

Talking with Fitz was a constant exchange of information and of firing questions and debating over everything. Their shared class became her favourite because they both challenged each other to do better. Working together on projects was almost natural and the results were outstanding.

Apparently, Dr. Hall had noticed their compatibility too and had started pairing them together whenever it was required. He had also suggested they work on personal projects to gain extra credits and both she and Fitz had decided to use some of their older works. They'd started to meet at the library before going to class and they spent a few hours talking about their works and new projects and designs.

She had told him about the dendrotoxin she had created a few days ago and of her attempts to use it in weapons or specific delivery mechanisms. He'd surprised her with a design of a non-lethal gun he'd been working on.

"This design is brilliant, Fitz," she exclaimed, grinning at him and he beamed at her.

"The moulds are hollow," he explained. "And if we manage to find the right-"

"-balance between the amount of dendrotoxin and the bullet weight-" She added.

"-we'll get the perfect stability for it to work." He finished with a grin and she could keep her enthusiasm at bay.

They were currently working on that along with other projects.

Jemma smiled as she thought of the way their work complemented each other. Her mind flew to the delivery mechanism that Fitz had literally invented from scratch for her crystalline nucleation process; the possible applications were buzzing in her head as she unpacked dinner for her and Daisy. She had just come back from picking up some Chinese food from the corner restaurant after her roommate had somehow managed to burn a lasagna that Jemma had made and frozen days earlier.

Jemma _still_ didn't know how she had managed to burn the _entire_ thing while attempting to heat it up...

Her friend gingerly walked into the kitchen, looking sheepish and helped her carry the cartons to the small table in front of their television; Daisy had already connected her laptop to it and Jemma saw that one of her favourite Dr. Who episodes on pause, ready to be played.

"Hmm... someone's trying to butter me up," she commented, picking up her carton of fried rice and taking a bite. Daisy groaned and nodded.

"I'll never stop apologizing," she said, taking a bite of chicken with a mournful look. "I so wanted to eat your lasagna." Jemma snorted: she had almost been to the point of comforting her roommate before she finished her sentence.

"Yeah, I see how your apology is _so_ heartfelt."

"Well, I've always been a fan of your cooking. You can't blame me," Daisy nudged her shoulder. Jemma smiled, failing to keep a more detached expression as Daisy shot her a pitiful pout.

"You know that I'll make another one, right?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just wanted to be sure about that," Daisy remarked with a grin

From the first night when she had settled in their dorm, Daisy had found out that Jemma could cook edible meals that weren't ready-made or out of a box. Daisy had quickly declared that the Jemma would be the new (and only) cook after tasting a simple dish of rice and vegetables and, ever since, cooking was Jemma's job while Daisy did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

The two friends ate in silence, watching television.

"How are things with your prince?"

Jemma looked away from the screen, rolling her eyes as she turned to her friend.

"He's not _my_ prince," she said for the hundredth time.

"Yeah, sure..." Daisy shrugged, ignoring her words. "So?"

"So what?"

"Have you kissed him?"

"Wha-?!" Jemma choked out, blushing beet red. "What are you-?"

"Have you asked him out then?"

"What? No!"

Daisy put her carton on the table and turned to her completely.

"Seriously?" She asked, arching a brow. "You've been crushing on him from like the moment you saw him and-"

"I'm not crushing on Fitz!" Jemma retorted, failing not to blush again. She _wasn't_ crushing on him: not at all. She was merely curious about him.

 _Just_ curious.

Well, if she had to be completely honest... She had been curious at the beginning but then they got to know each other better.

They studied or worked together or talked about science but sometimes, during those mornings in the library, their notes lay forgotten on the table and they talked about everything and anything, taking advantage of the quiet and empty place.

Jemma asked him about Ossetia, confessing her lack of knowledge about the small kingdom and was intrigued by its history and importance. The Fitzgeralds' had been the reigning family for two centuries and it had been thanks to one of Fitz' ancestors -a budding scientist with a solid background in geology- that the hidden riches had been truly discovered in the Ossetian grounds. But the discovery of vibranium when Fitz' grandfather was king was what gave the country the world's attention.

Jemma hadn't missed his passion as he talked about his country and his real interest in keeping it whole and safe, without altering its landscape.

She often slipped in questions about him and had learned about his parents. Jemma learned of his uncle who was strict but righteous and and then she heard a variety of names of people that lived at Palace and that had been part of Fitz' life.

In the meantime, Fitz managed to make her talk about herself and of her family. It was surprising, really, how he managed to let her ramble about her mum and dad, her sister Lizzie and the middle class life that they had back in their countryside cottage in Sheffield. She had mentioned childhood memories that nobody -not even Daisy- had known about. And then she had talked about being a young genius, of being shunned by her peers and of how things could be a little bit difficult to handle sometimes. Her personal experiences seemed to mirror Fitz' and she had revelled in this new common ground they shared.

They were all things that she'd never voiced out loudly to anyone. And yet, she felt at ease with Fitz. He had slowly become her best friend.

Now that she knew him better, she was even more aware of how interesting he was. It wasn't just the brilliant mind that made the young prince so appealing: it was the caring attitude that made him bring her her favourite tea every morning in the library; it was the shy smile that he'd give her when she complimented one of his projects or ideas; it was the enthusiasm that he exuded when they talked about science and their work, the eager look on his face and his bright blue eyes.

What worried her, however, was the way her heart fluttered when he smiled or looked at her, forcing her to fight a blush as she smiled back.

Jemma knew that she was feeling something that was a little bit more than platonic towards Fitz.

But they were friends and he was the only person she knew that was so similar to her and that seemed to understand her completely.

She didn't want to risk his friendship over a ridiculous... attraction.

"You were saying?" Daisy's knowing voice broke Jemma's musings and she turned to look at her. Her friend smirked and the biochemist had to look away, fighting a blush.

Alright... maybe she did have a _tiny_ crush.

"I was just thinking," Jemma claimed, trying to keep her composure. She was _not_ going to surrender to Daisy's teasing.

"Yeah, sure..." Daisy drawled, picking up her glass. "Thinking about more stuff to know about your prince or on how to kiss him senseless?"

"Daisy!" She really didn't need the mental image of kissing Fitz. It would make being next to him all the more complicated...

"What? You should do something about it!" Daisy looked at her. "You should ask him out."

"I can't just go and-"

"It's the twenty-first century: you _can_ go and ask a guy without waiting for him to ask you," Daisy looked pensive for a moment. "Though... he's a prince and he might have some rule against it. Dunno... some old fashioned etiquette of sorts..."

Jemma sighed softly, trying to ignore her friend's rambling as she picked her laptop. She had thought about the differences between her and Fitz' upbringing; there were many things that showed how the engineer had been educated.

His chivalrous actions were quite endearing and Jemma never thought that she'd appreciate having doors held open for her, chairs pulled out or breakfast offered until she'd met Fitz. She was used to being independent but his actions were so natural -nothing was forced - and it was done with a gentle smile.

But despite his attitude and the friendship they had developed in the past weeks, she had noticed that Fitz was quite reserved about his private life.

He rarely spoke about his life at MIT and Jemma didn't know if he had friends at all. He was popular and often surrounded by people but she noticed how his demeanour was stiff and guarded.

She had seen with another student that she'd identified as Lance Hunter, one of Trip's classmates. She had often seen him talk with Mr. Mackenzie, one of the researchers in the mechanical engineering department.

Jemma had spent a bit of her free time looking up information about Fitz and had learned that Mr. Mackenzie and that Lance Hunter had transferred to MIT when Fitz had. Even without Daisy's initial introduction, she had guessed that Fitz couldn't have come to America on his own. No one seemed to know a lot about his living arrangements: he lived in an apartment a little outside of campus and shared it with two other people, one of whom was Hunter.

Her, Daisy and Trip had speculated a bit once at dinner that the two men were Fitz' bodyguards and that they were constantly keeping an eye on him. Jemma wondered if being the heir to the throne of a nation that was becoming quite important in the world meant dangers to Fitz' well-being.

That little seed of concern mingled with her other -and definitely more personal- concerns about Fitz' relationship with Bobbi Morse. That model of a woman lived with Fitz (and Hunter) and Jemma couldn't ignore the little voice in her head that said that she could be more than a roommate.

Daisy speculated that Bobbi was _Hunter's_ girlfriend but Jemma had never seen them together and it just fueled her suspicion along with... other things.

The thought of Fitz having a girlfriend created a plethora of other feelings in her, making something clench painfully in her stomach. The fact that he kept it a secret was quite expected: she'd heard of the ruckus caused by the journalist who exposed his cover a year ago. She realised that all Fitz wanted was to be left out of the spotlight and given the chance to live his life.

"Anyway..." Daisy's voice managed to bring her out of her thoughts again. Jemma looked at her as she showed her laptop's screen. "Being the awesome friend that I am, I'm checking some stuff and, apparently, the prince of Ossetia doesn't have any arranged marriage." She frowned at something on her laptop. "Though the gossip papers often mention this Raina, countess of... whatever in Ossetia, saying that she would be the perfect match for him."

Jemma blinked and peeked at the screen, seeing a picture over curly haired girl with big dark eyes and a rather aristocratic look.

"She's quite beautiful," Jemma commented, feeling the familiar clench in her stomach.

Daisy turned to look at her and then back at the screen.

"Nah, you're prettier," she said. "She looks a bit... prickly." She skimmed through some photos. "And she likes flower dresses _way_ too much." Jemma choked a laugh at her tone. "Anyway, your prince is free and dateable."

Jemma's eyebrows arched and Daisy shrugged.

"What? He's a _prince_ and who knows what sort of accords or promises his parents' might have made. I didn't read all the laws and rules -too much boring stuff- but there isn't anything that might stop him from going out on a date with a pretty English girl." Daisy glanced at her. "Apart from the girl and her sudden insecurities."

"I'm not-" She was not insecure. She was just... cautious.

"No, you're not. You're just a - _a young nubile prodigy with above average fashion sense_." Daisy's English accent was horrific and Jemma shuddered.

"Don't _ever_ do that again."

"Will you ask Fitz out then?"

Jemma hit Daisy with one the couch's cushions in reply, while Daisy protested in her affected English accent.

Later that night, as she went to bed, Jemma thought that she could try to talk to Fitz and just ask if he wanted to do something else rather study or work. As friends, obviously.

The little stutter of her heart at the simple thought made her realise that she wouldn't mind (at all) if he'd accepted to do anything or go anywhere with her as more than friends.

-:-

Fitz yawned and cursed under his breath for the tenth time since he woke up as he finished buttoning his shirt.

He hated waking up early in the morning; had always hated it and probably always will. Mumbling under his breath, he grabbed his keys and phone from the bedside table before reaching for his messenger bag. A soft ping made him turn the phone's screen on and a smile made its way on his face as he read the message.

[07:50 – From Jemma Simmons]: Be there at past ten. :)

And suddenly all the hatred towards early risings disappeared from his head.

Fitz quickly typed a reply and did the maths in his head. He had enough time to go at the campus' café and get their teas; Jemma usually brought something to eat since he confessed that he was famished when he got up early. He smiled to himself at the thought that they might eat on the small terrace on the last floor of the library that over looked campus. At eight in the morning, there was rarely anyone there and they had long found a secluded space for themselves upstairs; the terrace had a small table where they'd sit to have breakfast or a snack since Jemma took the rules of not eating in the library to heart.

Fitz wondered what she'd say if he told her of the time he'd snuck bags of crisps in the Palace's library when he was younger and had left crumbs all over the table and chairs as he was engrossed in his reading. Mrs. Weaver, the librarian and his old home-school teacher, had lightly scolded him before asking what had captured his attention for so long. He clearly remembered talking about Jules Verne's books for hours with her.

He'd never lived a secluded or private life; he'd learned from the very start that being a royal meant having everyone's eyes on him. But he'd been used to discretion in Ossetia where his people knew him but let him be when it was possible. When his uncle had told him to go to America under the guise of another name, he'd thought that it was unnecessary and only Mack's insistence had made him accept. At eighteen years old, he was anonymous in America and Fitz had revelled in the feeling and behaved as a normal teenager.

Well, a normal teenager who was a genius, engineer prodigy with a degree and that was always surrounded by his tutor and two bodyguards under the guise of a private teacher and roommates.

But he'd enjoyed this new life as Leo Fitz and his time at Caltech and then Harvard had been nice until...

Fitz frowned and grabbed his bag, absently checking if his notes were inside. He didn't want past events to dampen his mood: he had been a fool to trust a person that he'd thought was a friend and he still lived with the consequences of that action. He had learned to be more guarded and his friends and tutors were more careful of the people around him.

But...then he'd met Jemma

A smile made his way on its face again as he thought of the girl that had quickly become his best friend and perfect work partner.

He and Jemma were working on the Night-Night gun (though she didn't agree with the name). If they got the schematics right and managed to build a working prototype, it would be wonderful and he could barely imagine all the ways they could use it. He also couldn't fathom how many devices or projects he and Jemma could come up with if they _truly_ worked together in a lab. The possibilities were innumerable.

If he had been quite interested in Jemma before knowing her properly, he was completely smitten now that he'd befriended her. She was every bit as brilliant as he had imagined, certainly smarter than he was -he was _sure_ about it- and even more charming and friendly.

And she got more gorgeous every day and he had to constantly ignore the way his heart would leap from his chest and get stuck somewhere in his throat whenever she smiled at him. It happened many times during the hours they spent together and Fitz felt as though he was going through a very severe self-control training.

They were oddly compatible in many ways but Fitz could also see how she was way more adventurous than he was. She had left her home to learn more, just like he did, but her goal was to travel and see the world; she wanted to help people with everything she had.

He had more limited plans: he wanted to learn as much as possible to help his country, make it live well and rule it as his father would have wanted.

They had met here at MIT and they'd both be here for another six months before finishing their PhDs and then... going different ways.

It was this thought that made him falter in trying to get closer to Jemma. He liked her. _A lot_.

But their entire situation was complicated. If she agreed to go out with him and even to date him, what would happen in six months? He was the crown prince of Ossetia and there were laws that ruled his life; especially his romantic relationships.

He couldn't just go and be with a girl like anyone else. It was all very, _very_ complicated.

But not as hard as even thinking of approaching Jemma and ask her out, knowing that it was something that he shouldn't do. It wasn't just his nerves and insecurities and the fear of losing a friendship that was so new, so perfect and yet so important.

Fitz left his room, straightening his bag and glanced around to see if anyone else was around as he locked his room. He knew that Bobbi was out at the crack of dawn to have her usual morning run and then spent a few hours at the gym before going to class; Hunter slept in until nine before trudging over to class himself. This was their schedule on every odd day and Fitz had taken advantage of it for his own needs. Both his bodyguards thought that he slept in -knowing that he hated waking up early- and then went off to class at noon. He had immediately noticed that their classes were close to where he would be and that they'd do other activities when he was at their apartment. Fitz had soon realised that ever since he'd got to MIT, he was never alone: he was always guarded and had eyes on him.

He knew that it wasn't their doing and that his uncle and Mack were behind this constant control but he'd started to miss his little sliver independence. Especially now that he knew Jemma.

Fitz sighed, tugging his shirt down as he silently headed down the corridor. He knew that Hunter and Bobbi would be more than happy to help him if he asked them. They'd both tell him to take the leap and ask her out.

They had been poking for more information, wanting to know if he'd gotten to know her better and he'd been vague and said that they mostly talked science together and only described the working partnership between them. He didn't mention that _he'd_ suggested to meet her in the library for a few hours before going to class; he didn't mention that he cherished those moments more than anything because he truly spent some time alone with Jemma, being himself and enjoying her company.

He didn't like keep things from the two people that he considered his oldest friends but he didn't want them to get in trouble for him. Mack might be their friend but he worked for his uncle and he was very strict on this.

"Good morning, Turbo."

Speak of the devil...

Fitz managed not jump or shriek out and turned towards the living room where he found Mack, leafing through a thick binder on the table. He recognised it as one that Bobbi used usually.

"H-Hey, Mack!" Fitz stumbled through his greeting and attempted a cheerful smile. "Didn't expect to find you here." He felt ridiculous to feel so nervous around his old tutor but what the _hell_ was he doing here at _this_ hour?! "What you're doing here? Not that you _can't_ be here but- It's a surprise."

"Just wanted to grab these old reports that Bobbi had stashed here," Mack replied, looking up from the paper he was reading. Fitz approached him and recognised an old aircraft design that _Fitz Electronics_ had aided in building years ago. He clearly remembered having helped in the software and equipment required to pilot the plane and wondered why his tutor was looking at it now.

"What's got you out of bed so early?" The older man asked good-heartedly, closing the binder in a casual way that wasn't unnoticed to the prince. "I clearly remember that getting you up before eight o'clock to go to class was quite impossible."

"I was a kid back then..." Fitz scoffed and Mack snorted.

"Aren't we speaking of a couple of years ago?"

Fitz didn't retaliate and scowled, making his tutor chuckle. Fitz sometimes forgot that Mack had been around him for a long time: he had been Fitz' tutor and bodyguard for years and the two had been very close when Fitz was a kid and eager to learn about engineering.

Things had changed slightly once Fitz had grown up, surpassing his tutor's level and the older man had started working with his uncle in the management of _Fitz Electronics_. Mack was still one of his oldest friends but their bond wasn't as tight as it had been before. Fitz shared more personal information with Bobbi and Hunter and Jemma now that she had become his closest friend.

"Why are you looking at those old blueprints?" Fitz asked, getting closer. Mack picked the binder and shrugged.

"Nothing much," he said nonchalantly. "Robert asked me some details about the aircrafts. I think he and Victoria are just going through all projects in these days to see what else the company can do."

Fitz nodded slowly, hoping that his face didn't show his disbelief.

There were other people in the parliament that didn't agree what Fitz was determined to do with the country. There were ministers that wanted to follow a more belligerent path, making guns and war machines as did other countries in the world. Fitz had always refused that choice: he'd never allow his country to finance wars.

However, he had noticed how his uncle had been quiet about the subject while Victoria Hand, the prime minister, seemed to be evaluating it -she had always been extremely practical. And now, seeing Mack go through old aircraft projects made Fitz wonder if something was brewing without his knowledge.

"Mack..." he started to say, but his tutor interrupted him.

"Anyway, what you're doing up?" Mack picked the binder and looked at him oddly. "Really, Fitz. I know you don't have morning classes. Why are you up so early?"

Whatever thought about asking for more about the old projects fled from Fitz' mind as he realised that he had to come up with some sort of explanation without mentioning Jemma or him leaving the apartment.

"I'm off to the library," he blurted, opting to tell the truth and omitting a few details. "I have a project to work on with my lab partner." He wasn't lying: Jemma _was_ his lab partner. "I thought that I could go early and finish some of my blueprints before..." He pulled out a scroll from his bag. "See? I'll show you once I'm done: the DWARFs will be ready to be tested soon!"

Mack arched a brow, showing mild interest on his drones. They'd already talked about them and he didn't think that the automated drones were devices that could be produced and sold in large quantities. Mack had given him the same answer as his uncle Robert and Fitz couldn't help but feel upset about it.

"Alone?" His tone was sharp. "Fitz, we've talked about this. Even though there's no apparent reason for anyone to harm you here, we can't be careless. After what happened in California, you're not allowed to go anywhere without one of us. Ward managed to steal your device because you were on your own and-"

"Hunter's coming with me!" The words were out of his mouth before he could actually think about it and Fitz prayed that the other man wouldn't wake up and come out of the room right now.

But he didn't want to hear Mack talk about what had happened. Fitz has been foolish to trust a man that he had thought was a friend: it had been all his fault if his blueprints were stolen along with the prototype and sold by an American company. Uncle Robert had been furious and Mack had become stricter.

"Hunter?" Mack looked sceptical and glanced at the door closed door of the man's room. "I don't think I even heard him wake up."

Fitz tried to keep a neutral face and hoped that for once in his life, Hunter would be quiet and he wouldn't snore loudly. Merciful silence reigned in the apartment for a full minute and Fitz nearly sighed in relief.

"I asked him to be up and ready by past eight," Fitz remarked, trying to act casual. "I'll wait another ten minutes before knocking at his door." He then frowned. "I'm not going in there without knocking ever again. He shouldn't be allowed to sleep naked."

Mack's suspicious look melted into one of hilarity as he laughed and walked past Fitz, going to the door.

"Alright then, Turbo," he said with a smile. "I'll let you wait before waking up Hunter." The taller man gave him a pat on the back with an enormous hand, making Fitz' knee almost buckle down. "Sorry for before but you know that we have to be careful; especially now that you're close to finishing your studies. Once we're back in Ossetia, it will be a matter of months before you'll be proclaimed king and then you can do as you want."

Fitz smiled absently, trying to ignore the thought that he'd never have true freedom to do what he wanted. He still had something now, here in America, but once he was back home, he'd have to face all the responsibilities required from him.

Once Mack left, Fitz waited five minutes to be sure that we was truly gone and then sprinted out the apartment towards campus.

He was only five minutes late when he made it to the library, carrying two cups of tea. Jemma was waiting right at the doors, smiling broadly as she held her bag and a smaller paper bag with their usual scones.

"Good morning, Fitz!" she greeted.

"Good morning, Jemma," He grinned as he handed her cup to her and then moved forward to open the door and let her in. She smiled again and he tried to ignore the flutter in his chest.

"Did you read that article on the new photographs taken by the Hubble telescope?" She asked him as they took the stairs up to their usual spot on the last floor.

"I did," he replied. "They were fascinating! Did you see-?"

"-the details of Pluto?" Her eyes were shining with excitement and he nodded, noticing how unfairly pretty she looked even at this time of the morning.

They chattered softly taking their seats and getting ready to work on their projects, Fitz realised that he was going to have to make up his mind soon.

He was trying to see her as a friend, a partner for his work (hopefully) and the only person with whom he could talk without restraining his mind. But he was aware that as the days passed that he was falling head over heels in love and he didn't know what to do.

For now, he was happy having breakfast with her in the silent library, enjoying the bubble of intimacy that he'd managed to create by lying and keeping things from the people he knew the most.

The wave of guilt that coursed through him vanished slowly when Jemma smiled at him over the rim of her paper cup.

For now, this was alright.

-:-

It was almost a month that she'd known Fitz when Jemma decided that she'd gather her courage and just ask if he wanted to go to a science exhibition nearby. Together.

She had chosen the event after proper research and a careful selection. A dinner would have been too intimate and bold while going to the cinema would have been a good idea if there'd been a decent film to watch.

The exhibition was something that they'd both enjoy since it talked about microtechnology achievements of the last year.

And it would be a way to understand if he wanted to do other things with her, more that studying or working.

She waited for the right moment, feeling a little vein of nervousness going through her body and leaving her distracted and slightly unfocused. Jemma had also given more importance to her appearance today, curling her hair slightly and applying a little dash of make-up.

She wasn't entirely sure if Fitz had noticed her efforts: he'd greeted her as usual when he gave her her tea. But he did look at her curiously and she'd also noticed him looking at her a couple of times as they studied before averting his gaze.

Jemma had felt a blush colour her face and a little trickle of pride as she saw the pinkish tinge on his cheeks and neck. Perhaps, there was a chance...

She put down her pen with a soft thud, knowing that she wouldn't get any work done until she'd asked him. Fitz looked up from his notebook in surprise.

"Everything alright?" he asked and Jemma nodded slowly, heart beating fast in her chest. What was wrong with her?! She had had other dates before and it hadn't been so difficult to talk to a man. She had two PhDs: it shouldn't be so hard to string words together!

But this was the first time that she was so interested in someone. This was the first time that she had something to lose; _someone_ to lose if things went badly.

"Jemma?" Fitz looked concerned now and she smiled. He was really sweet...

"I was wondering..." she started, toying with a page of her notes. "Did you hear about the microtechnology exhibition that's taking place at the museum?"

The worry melted off Fitz' face and his eyes shone with interest. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"Yeah," he replied. "I read about it. It sounds really interesting."

"Wouldyouliketogo?" The words hurried out of her mouth before she could stop them and Jemma cringed.

"I'm sorry?" Fitz' tone was confused and he looked worried again.

 _He's probably wondering if I'm going mental_ , Jemma thought, feeling a blush on her face. But there was no turning back now.

"I.. said.." She cleared her voice. "Would you like to go? To the exhibition." She swallowed dryly. "With me?"

There, she said it: she was almost proud of herself.

But then she saw the way Fitz' eyes widened and doubt crept in her veins.

-:-

Fitz stared owlishly for a good minute before his brain clicked back in place.

"Come again?" God and he thought himself a _genius_? No, he was a moron.

Jemma looked at him uncertainly, fingers twitching the corners of her notes.

"Like you said, it seems very interesting," she remarked, tucking a curl of hair behind her ear, in a nervous gesture he'd learned to recognize. "And… well… I was wondering if you wanted to do… do something else together. Something different, that was more than…" She gestured at the table with a hand and then quickly shook her head. "I mean I love working with you! It's wonderful that we can brainstorm and talk about science. I honestly wouldn't give it up for anything and-"

"Jemma..." Fitz leaned forward, holding a hand up to stop her flustered rambling. His heart was hammering in his chest as he got the meaning of her words.

"What I mean is… I really like being with you, Fitz," Jemma blushed and Fitz was sure that his heart was going to jump out of his chest. "You're a wonderful partner and friend and-" She looked at him shyly, hazel eyes peering through her lashes. "-I'd really like to know you...well… _more_. Not only as friends." The smile on her face was tentative and so vulnerable that it made him want to move closer and hold her hand. "What do you say?"

It was odd to feel elation and disappointment at the same time: it was like his heart was swelling and deflating at the same time.

He wanted to tell her that he wanted to be _with_ her, that he'd wanted it probably since the moment he first saw her. He wanted to tell her that he'd have asked her out if he had the courage.

But he couldn't. As much as he wanted to say yes and try to see what would happen, he knew that he had to say no. Even now that he knew that his interest was reciprocated.

 _Everyone has to follow the rules, Leopold_ , his uncle Robert used to tell. _Especially the future King._

"I-" His voice cracked and he had to clear it before trying to talk again. "Jemma, I-"

Something must have transpired on his face because he saw how Jemma's face fell, hurt in her eyes before she looked away. Something lurched in his chest.

"You know, I doesn't matter really…" she said softly. "I understand."

"No, Jemma, wait," He got up at the same moment as she did and felt his heart in his throat. "I didn't mean-" Fitz leaned forward, moving his hand as to reach her but Jemma drew back slightly, before starting to quickly put her notes away, without looking at him.

"It's alright, Fitz," She looked up with a smile and he immediately noticed that her features were strained. He'd seen her smile and laugh and this was nothing like that. She was holding back her disappointment.

She thought that he _didn't want to-_

"You got it wrong," he blurted. "I would love to-"

"It doesn't matter, Fitz, really…" She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I-I should be going actually. I didn't realise that it was so late." She glanced at him before turning around.. "See you tomorrow."

"Jemma…" Fitz grabbed his bag and squashed his notes inside and took off after her. "Let me explain."

"Fitz, it doesn't matter." Her expression might have been calm and composed but her eyes were telling another story. "It was just a ridiculous suggestion."

"It wasn't-"

"I shouldn't have assumed that you- Never mind." She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow to finish the last draft of the Night-Night gun."

"Jemma, _wait_ ," He grabbed her wrist and stopped her. He was grateful that the top floor of the library was still empty. He could only imagine what people might have thought, seeing them.

She looked at him with uncertain eyes, her entire body tense and he felt terrible for being the reason of her discomfort. He had to explain the whole situation: he didn't want her to think that he didn't want to spend time with her.

 _Every_ lie he had said in the past month was to be _with_ her.

"Let me explain," he said softly. " _Please_."

-:-

It was Fitz' pleading tone that stopped Jemma from fleeing the library as quickly as possible to the safety of her room and just berate herself for her stupidity.

She had damaged their friendship, ruined their seamless dynamics and all because she was selfish and wanted more than what she had.

She glanced at him, ignoring the way his fingers were wrapped around her wrist holding her in a soft but firm grip, and saw the emotions dancing in his eyes. He looked distraught and it was odd because she was the one that had messed up their friendship, not him.

Nodding slightly, Jemma turned to look at him fully. Fitz visibly relaxed but he still looked troubled and guilty.

It looked as though he had been hiding something and was about to confess. The niggling suspect that he might have a girlfriend came back to her mind along with the image of the statuesque Bobbi Morse. Something clenched in her stomach and she decided that she'd rather keep his friendship than lose him altogether.

Smiling slightly, Jemma gently removed his hand from her wrist.

"It's alright, Fitz, I understand," she said. "I just read too much in our interactions. You've been a great friend but it's quite clear that you have someone else-"

" _What?!_ " Fitz spluttered, interrupting her. "What are you-? I don't have- Who are you talking about?"

"Well, your roommate, Bobbi-" Jemma remarked and his eyes widened comically.

" _Bobbi_? Are you serious? You _thought-_ " Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand and then ran it through his hair before looking at her. "Bobbi is like a sister to me."

Jemma arched a brow and Fitz nodded vigorously.

"Believe me, Jemma," he said. "Bobbi is like the older and stricter sister I've never had. She's…" He looked around as though checking if someone was eavesdropping. "She's one of my bodyguards: I've known her since I was sixteen."

Jemma's eyes widened.

"Really?" She asked incredulously and blushed when he stared at her with unreadable eyes. The clench in her stomach didn't diminish when she realised that, if he didn't have girlfriend, then Fitz was truly not interested in her for anything more than a partnership.

"Jemma, I think I owe you an- Bloody hell!" She looked up abruptly and saw Fitz staring at something down the staircase. She turned her head and saw a few people in line to speak with the librarian.

"What?" she asked, turning to look at Fitz who suddenly looked agitated and backed away from the stairs. "Fitz?"

"Mack's here," he muttered and her face twisted in confusion as she turned again to look downstairs. She then noticed the enormous figure of Mr. Mackenzie, standing on a side of the librarians table.

Jemma turned back to Fitz, puzzled and watched him look around.

Why was he behaving like that?

She didn't have to wonder about it for long though; Fitz approached her and took her hand, forcing her to walk along with him.

"Fitz! What the-" Her question was cut short as he opened the door of the storage room where the old books were kept and pulled her inside. "What's going on?!" She demanded and he looked rightfully abashed.

"He doesn't know that I'm here," Fitz replied, closing the door behind him as he flipped the light switch on. "And… I can't risk to be seen."

"What would he even care if you're here?" She asked loudly. "It's just the campus' library!"

"He'd care because I shouldn't be here! He'd be furious because I shouldn't be here without Bobbi or Hunter and because I told all of them that I'm at my apartment."

Jemma stared at him.

"What?" Nothing was making sense.

"Please, let me explain," he said quietly and she nodded, swallowing another series of questions. She looked around, noticing that they were surrounded by bookshelves and moved towards the small, empty table next to the wall. She put her bag down and sat on a corner as Fitz did the same: there was just a handful of centimetres between them.

Jemma watched him carefully and saw how he seemed to be torn, unsure on what to say. Without thinking much, she put a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing it before moving it away. Fitz looked at her and he smiled softly and nodded absentmindedly.

"What's going on, Fitz?" She asked quietly.

"I lied," he said and she blinked, feeling her heart skip a beat. His eyes widened and he shook his head furiously, turning fully to look at her. "No, no...Not to _you_! I mean…. I just didn't tell…" He sighed, running a hand through his curls.. "No one knows that I've been spending my mornings here in the library. I've managed to find a small loophole in Bobbi and Hunter's timetables and Mack isn't around that much so I just had to be careful when he came to the apartment. I made them all think that I've been in my room before going to class or to the lab." He sighed again. "I didn't want to lie to them: Bobbi and Hunter are like my closest friends and Mac too even though he's been given strict orders by my uncle to keep me in check. But I knew that they'd never allow me to go somewhere on my own -unguarded- so"

Jemma stared at him, eyes widening when she realised the implication of his words.

"Fitz…" She said slowly. "Are you saying that being here, _right now_ , is not safe for you?" She had never thought about him in a bigger context but now, as thoughts fired through her brain, she realised that she'd been blind. He was the heir to a new, growing country that was becoming important in the world. And he was brilliant, with a mind that was bursting with ideas…

Of course, he was valuable and, maybe, wrong people might want to harm him.

A shiver ran down Jemma's spine at the idea of someone wanting to hurt Fitz, quickly followed by the irrational and sudden thought that she'd never allow it.

"Hey," Jemma was startled out of her musing by Fitz' hand on her shoulder, his blue eyes concerned.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?" She demanded. " _I_ suggested for us to study and work together!" Fear flooded her veins. "If I had known, I wouldn't have ever-"

"Jemma, you didn't-"

"If something had happened to you-"

"Jemma!" Fitz put both his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to stare at him. She hadn't realised that her eyes had started to fill up with tears. She was never this emotional but the thought of putting Fitz in danger was breaking apart her composure.

He was too important for her.

"My life's not in danger. I'm not _that_ important." His attempt at a smile and his teasing tone didn't make her feel better and he sobered. "I've never been threatened. I've got two bodyguards because my mother didn't want me to leave to America on my own since I was just sixteen and I accepted to keep her calm. Back at home, we have the royal guard but they're duty is to protect the capital city mostly. My family has always fended on its own.. We've only had May as personal guard and she's been around since my dad was a prince; she's almost family now and she's looking after my mum while I'm here."

He looked at her reassuringly, letting her go, and Jemma nodded slightly but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was still amiss in his explanation. Fitz must have noticed it because he kept talking.

"A few years, I befriended a man called Grant Ward at Caltech. He seemed like a good bloke: bit of a loner but he had a good heart and he was majoring Mechanical Engineering. Or so I thought…" Fitz' face darkened and Jemma reached for one of his hands on his thighs. "I thought he was a friend: he was the only person besides Mac, Bobbi and Hunter that treated me as a person and not like a celebrity or a nuisance. He gained my trust, even came over to my house and I never realised that he was kept asking about my work and Fitz Electronics. I thought that he might be interested in working there." He laughed humorlessly. "I actually thought of helping him get in the R&D Department."

"Fitz..." Jemma didn't like the self-deprecating tone his voice had taken. "What happened?"

"One day, out of the blue, he disappeared and with him was gone a blueprint that I had finished and that was meant to be built by my company," Fitz swallowed dryly. "It had taken me _months_ to convince my uncle and the administration board to build a few of my devices and test them. A few months later, a rival company had the Mouse Hole on the market."

"Mouse Hole?"

"I called it like that… It was a device that could cut clean through any material -no matter the density and thickness."

Jemma nodded, recalling an article about a similar device: it was being applied in various fields.

"So… Ward stole your work and sold it to that company?"

"I think that his plan from the start was to take any worthy information from me; he became my friend for that and managed to take my work," Fitz sighed. "I couldn't do anything about it either because I hadn't patented the device yet so even if I did find him, I couldn't do anything about it. Let me tell you that the more conservative members of the parliament just loved the fact that I mucked up." Jemma looked at him in confusion and he sighed again. "Once I get my PhD, I'm going to be crowned as king or, at least, this has been the plan since I came here to America to finish my studies. I've been trained my entire life for this moment but…I didn't really think of how hard everything might be." Fitz scratched the back of his neck, looking almost uncomfortable and Jemma gently squeezed his hand. The soft look that he gave her made her pulse quicken.

"I imagine that you will be full of work and responsibilities," she conceded and he shook his head.

"It's not that," he said. "I mean, not just that- I'll be the youngest king in Ossetia's history and there are many people in the parliament that don't think that I'll be up to it. My ideas for more innovative devices aren't seen well and they doubt that I'll be able to reign correctly. There are rumours that some of them are just waiting for a mistake from me to ask for an election on my right to be king. They can do it." He answered her unsaid question and she felt indignation flood her body at the thought of Fitz being labeled as not capable.

He smiled slightly, stroking his thumb over her knuckles absently.

"It's politics," he remarked. "I learned that these games are meant to happen. That's why Mack is here: my uncle made him come with me to help me and to be sure that nothing happens. But-"

"-Ward stole-"

"-my prototype, yes. And things have been a bit strained." Fitz smiled wryly. "I know that Uncle Robert means well but… he's doing everything that he thinks my dad would want for me. I know that he wants to help but he doesn't realise that it's too much sometimes."

Jemma recalled how Daisy had said that Fitz was always on his own here at MIT and something clicked in her head.

"Did he ask you to be more secluded?" she asked. "To just study and not to mingle?"

"Yeah," Fitz replied. "I'm used to be on my own and… well… I've never really had that much of friends so it wasn't that hard to stay away from people and I'm pretty used to be alone.." Jemma nodded unconsciously, knowing that feeling well. "When that reporter revealed my identity last year, my uncle and Mack just lost it. They became incredibly paranoid and ordered Bobbi and Hunter to be my shadows, to follow me everywhere." Fitz looked at her and she saw his eyes filled with some emotion she couldn't define.

"I never minded it before. I've never had real friends of my age and I knew that I had to get used to the fact of being followed by someone… But then you showed up.."

Jemma felt her face get warm as his eyes fell on her. He smiled, shyly, before looking at their joint hands, brushing her skin with small circular strokes.

"A brilliant girl who shared my passion for science and that was my age. A person that I could truly talk to and that I-I…" He faltered, stilling his hand on hers and swallowed. Jemma was sure that her heart was going to leap out her chest. Was she hoping too much or did he the same way as she did?

"Fitz…" She started to say but he looked at her again, eyes suddenly sad and she stopped talking.

"I started to yearn for independence like I never had before," he said. "I lied to everyone else just to… to spend some time with you, Jemma." He smiled shyly again. "I-I like you. A lot." Jemma couldn't help the smile on her face but it dimmed when she sensed his hesitation.

"But-?" She asked tentatively. "What's wrong?"

"You'd never want this," he said. "Me."

"What?" She looked at him in disbelief. "I just told you that I wanted to- "

"Yes… and I know that you won't-"

"How can you say what _I_ want?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Why would you want to be with someone that lives with guards? Someone that has to be followed in every moment. Someone that cannot even take you out for dinner or a date alone?" He sighed. "Why be with me when I can't even show my affection publicly?" He looked at her with a contrite look. "And all for how long? Six months?"

Jemma felt anger course through her veins.

"Do you really think that I'm so shallow? Or that I'd do anything to damage you?!" She asked, getting to her feet and standing in front of him. "That I'd attempt to destroy our friendship if I didn't want to know _you_ and be _with you_ more than anything?!"

"Jemma…" Fitz stood up and moved forward to touch her but she stepped back as disbelief, rage and hurt filled her.

"You're afraid," she remarked and he looked at her with wide eyes. "I understand that: I spent weeks making up my mind on how to merely suggest for us to be more than friends. _Weeks_." All her anger faded into a dull pain in her chest. "I was terrified that I could ruin our relationship. I still am. You've become my best friend, Fitz. My best friend in the world."

"Mine too but you're also more than that, ," he whispered, moving to touch her arm. "And, yes, I am afraid but not of what people might think: I don't care about that. I just don't want you to be unhappy."

"We won't know if we don't try though…" Jemma replied and took a small step towards him, invading his personal space. "Even if it's only for six months…" She felt a little pang in her chest. "We won't know if it will be only for that much: it could be for much longer if we want it."

She could understand that he had personal matters and duties; she knew that he had literally the weight of a country on his shoulders

But she'd help him through everything if he allowed her. She was willing to help him as a friend and she was more than happy to help him as more than that.

She cared for him. He was more that just a friend.

So Jemma waited for him to decide: he had more to lose than she did.

-:-

Fitz stared at Jemma, realising that it was all up to him now.

Could it be so easy? Could she really want to be with him - _him_ \- to the point of hiding a relationship from everyone? To sneak moments together? To attempt a relationship with them separated in two different countries?

He knew that she was wonderful and smart but… could she be so perfect?

His eyes roved over her face, waiting to see a flicker of uncertainty or for her to realise the mistake she was making but he only saw a clear, warm gaze. Perhaps a tad vulnerable but it was quite understandable: Jemma had just opened her mind and heart to him.

She had been braver than him and had taken the first step.

Now it was his turn.

Fitz moved his hand down Jemma's arm until he gently took her hand, fingers threading together. Jemma's cheeks took a pinkish tint, matching his own flaming face but she smiled softly.

"I-I want to try," he said, stepping forward so that they were almost chest to chest. From this distance, he could identify every shade of hazel in her eyes and was surrounded by the soft lavender hint of her perfume. "But- I want you to know…" He struggled with his words. "I'll be honest, yeah?" Jemma nodded. "I've never done this before: never wanted to be with someone like this." He blushed as he confessed his inexperience. "You know, always the youngest…"

"I've never been in a relationship with anyone, Fitz," she said, inching forward. "A few dates, nothing more." She bit her lip and he was distracted by the way she moistened her lips to notice that her free hand was softly curled against his jumper. She looked up at him with a shy gaze. "Nobody has ever been as interesting as you are."

Fitz couldn't help the smile on his face.

"Oh, you're not saying that just because I'm a prince, yeah?" He asked teasingly and grinned when she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Fitz!" She said good-naturedly. "You know that I didn't even know who you were when we first met!"

He nodded, unable to keep his eyes off her. He'd teased her endlessly when she'd confessed this but he had been inwardly ecstatic that she had been interested in him, Leo Fitz, rather than on Prince Leopold Fitzgerald of Ossetia.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you from the moment I first saw you…"

The sudden bright blush on Jemma's cheeks made Fitz realise that he had actually said the last sentence out loud.

Warmth invaded his face and he tried to recover from his impromptu confession.

"I-I...well… I just-" He stammered helplessly and cursed himself for his lack of coherence.

"Fitz," Jemma said softly, fingers toying with a thread on his jumper. "You don't have to say that… I know that you detested me when we first met. I was so rudely staring at you and-"

"What?" He couldn't believe his ears. "I didn't hate you!"

"You probably mistook me for some girl that was fawning over you, the Prince of Ossetia. It's not a problem, really: we started talking pretty much immediately after and-"

"Jemma," Fitz took both of her hands in his and held them against his chest, stopping her from finishing her sentence. She looked up at him with wide eyes and he swallowed.

Why hadn't _anyone_ , in all the years of tuition, ever taught him the proper etiquette when talking to a woman he liked?

How was he supposed to tell the girl he fancied that he'd been smitten from the first moment he saw her?

Fitz opted to be honest… and hoped for the best.

"I saw you on campus," he said. "You didn't even see me but I was taken by you immediately." He smiled as she blushed again. "Your voice, your smile… everything. I always looked around for you when I walked around after classes but could never get the courage to approach you. So when I saw you during Chemical Kinetics lab, I got tongue-tied." He slowly dropped her hands and gently cupped her face. "You got the wrong idea: I liked you since then and I just didn't know how to show you."

Jemma stared at him and a breathtaking smile made its way on her face, making his heart thump in his chest

"Well," she remarked, biting her lip. "You could… You could show me. Now."

He blinked, eyes darting to her lips before looking at her eyes. Jemma stood up on her toes and gently nudged his forehead with hers, staying there for a moment so that they were the same height.

"You…?" He whispered, asking a question with his eyes and she nodded slowly.

Feeling his heartbeat in his ears, Fitz leaned forward and kissed her and nothing felt more right.

-:-

Jemma felt something similar to a spark as soon as Fitz' lips touched hers and then the electric tingle started travelling all along her body, under her skin.

He was so careful as he held her: it almost seemed as though he was worried of hurting her with this simple action and she felt a wave of affection for him.

She tilted her head, applying slightly more pressure on the kiss and moved her hands up to touch his face, caressing his jaw and neck. Fitz let out a small sound and her lips quirked up, knowing that she was responsible for it.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pleasantly surprising her by deepening the kiss and enveloping her in a soft embrace as they melted against each other.

When they broke apart, Jemma watched Fitz open his eyes, blink and stare at her for a moment before shooting her a bashful smile. He looked just as dazed as she felt.

"It would have been more proper if I had taken you out for a date before... _that_ ," he whispered as they stayed close together. "Not that I'm complaining!" He quickly added and Jemma giggled.

"We've been seeing each other for almost a month and you've always brought me breakfast," she replied. "I think we've had our share of small dates…" She caressed his cheek, his stubble scraping against her fingertips softly.

"But I still want to take you out to dinner." Fitz looked thoughtful for a moment. "Or better, I'll figure out a way to take you to dinner without anyone noticing."

She smiled.

"I could cook us dinner, if you want…" She inwardly rejoiced when his eyes lit up and the boyish, enthusiastic smile he'd get when he was happy appeared on his face.

"That would be great."

"We could see if we can meet at my dorm perhaps; I can convince Daisy to stay over at Trip's so she won't be a problem. It might be easier for you without-" Her words got lost in her throat when he looked at her with a soft gaze that made her mind go blank. "-er… w-what?" She managed to stutter.

"You," he replied, brushing a wayward curl away from her face. "I just can't believe that you want… this…"

Cupping his cheek with one hand, Jemma moved forward to brush her lips against his, marvelling on the fact that it felt natural and normal already, though her heartbeat increased again.

She'd soon find a way to convince him that she _wanted_ to be with him and had wanted it for a long time.

Fitz grinned as they kissed and Jemma couldn't help but mirror his smile; she then squeaked slightly when he twisted them around so that she was leaning against the table while he deepened the kiss.

As she moved her hands up to clutch his hair and bring him closer, she realised that their compatibility seemed to extend on more fields than just science.

And, as much as Fitz claimed to be inexperienced, he sure had a way to make her feel breathless.

She didn't know how much time passed but when they managed to stop kissing each other, realising that escalating things inside a room the size of a broom closet wouldn't really do, they quickly stepped apart to calm down.

Jemma bit her lip as she watched Fitz run a hand through his hair, attempting to tame his suddenly unruly curls and took in his crushed shirt collar, pinkish face and the small mark right under his jaw that she had caused and wasn't too sorry about.

She didn't want to think of how she looked so she quickly patted her hair, smoothed her clothes and took her bag. She then handed Fitz his own and smiled as he took it.

His smile was incredibly gentle when he reached for her hand and entwined their fingers.

"I'll figure out a way to do everything right," he said, bringing their hands to his mouth and brushing a kiss to her knuckles.

"You don't have to worry about this on your own," she retorted, squeezing their fingers together. "We'll find a way together."

He nodded, kissing her hand again, before dropping it slowly and opening the door.

Fortunately, the floor was still empty and no one would notice them lurking out of the storage room.

Jemma could only imagine the rumours if someone had seen her and Fitz: the last thing he needed was to think that they'd been snogging in a closet.

Even though they _did_ do that.

They walked downstairs, talking about their schedules, looking every bit like two classmates, when Bobbi Morse appeared in front of them, smiling broadly.

Fitz stopped dead on his tracks and blanched. Jemma quickly looked around, wondering if Mr. Mackenzie was still there.

"B-bobbi-?" Fitz stammered. "Wha-?"

"Hey, Fitz," she said nonchalantly and turned to Jemma. "Don't worry: Mack's gone. I told him that I had to pick some books here." She smiled and held out a hand. "I think we've never met. I'm Bobbi."

"Oh! Yes, it's a pleasure," Jemma hurriedly took her hand and shook it. "I'm-"

"-Jemma Simmons, yeah, I know." She grinned at Fitz who still looked shell-shocked. "This one's been talking about you a lot." Bobbi looked at her appreciatively and Jemma blushed. "We're going to be great friends."

"We are?" She asked before she could stop herself. Bobbi nodded, looping her arms around both of them and walking them all to the door.

"Bobbi, what-?" Fitz asked as they were outside. "What are you doing here? What's going-?"

"Oh, you're asking _me_ what's going on?" She asked, arching a brow. "You have been getting out on your own for a month and you get to ask?"

Fitz opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. Bobbi looked at him sternly for a minute before laughing good-naturedly.

"Fitz, don't worry," she said, patting his shoulder. "We've always known."

"What?" Both Fitz exclaimed and Jemma looked at both in surprise.

"Do you seriously think that I wouldn't know that you're trying to hide something or doing something secretly?" Bobbi scoffed. "I get it that you think that you can fool Hunter: he's an idiot. But _me_?"

"How?"

"You stopped speaking about her 24/7." She pointed at Jemma and she blushed again. "You didn't look like a kicked puppy. All in all, you looked happy."

Jemma turned to look at Fitz who had turned an interesting shade of red. She couldn't help but feel a smile make its way on her face.

She also realised that Daisy had been saying the same thing to her lately...

"And you make a hell of a lot of noise when you try to leave your room quietly: Hunter heard you first in the morning. He followed you, waited outside the library until you went to your class."

"So.. he's been tricking me?" Fitz asked. "I thought he was asleep and he-"

"He placed a tracer on you the same day and checked every morning if you were at the library. And if he was sleeping, I could check and see if you were elsewhere."

"A tracer?" Fitz stared at himself. "Where the hell-?"

"Not telling," Bobbi singsonged. Jemma couldn't help but laugh at Fitz' outraged expression. "Anyway, you could have told us, Fitz."

Fitz sighed, putting a hand on the back of his neck and looked at Bobbi. Jemma noticed that he almost looked ashamed.

"I didn't want to get you in trouble," he said softly. "Mack is being so weird lately and he and Uncle Robert might-"

Bobbi looked at him with such a fond, sisterly look that Jemma wondered how she could have thought of the two of them as a couple.

"Hunter and I can take care of ourselves," she replied. "We're tough and we can help you." She poked Fitz' shoulder, earning a little frown from him. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course."

"And we've been around you for a while."

"Yeah…"

"And we know that you have the habit of thinking too much of your responsibilities," Bobbi looked at Jemma. "He sometimes gets stuck in his thick, super intelligent brain: it will take you a while to talk him out of his convictions. You'll see that…"

"Oh, I already did," Jemma turned to look at Fitz. "But I'm more stubborn than him."

"Oh good. Might knock some sense in him then; get him out of the 'I'll sacrifice myself for the greater good'-attitude."

"Hey!" Fitz protested and Jemma chuckled.

"Yes, I've seen that aspect of his character," Jemma remarked. "But I can be convincing."

"Oh?" Bobbi looked at her and then at Fitz. "Yeah, I'm sure you are…" She grinned. "Hmm.. seems that we won't have to cover up just for stolen breakfast moments from now on, huh?"

Jemma blinked as the implications of her words were sorted in her head. She gaped at Bobbi and then looked at Fitz who looked just as flabbergasted.

"I'm sorry… What?" She asked slowly.

Bobbi laughed.

"Great, you're just as bad as him," she remarked. "You two would make terrible spies. I can list at least ten things that give you out." Stepping away, she shot a look at both. "Come on, you two, I've got Hunter holed at the apartment pretending to be Fitz; as much as I want to leave him there for a bit, I'd say we go free him."

Jemma looked at Fitz and he stared back.

"How?" She whispered urgently and he shrugged.

"I have no clue how-" he said.

"-she could know that we-"

"Hurry up!" Bobbi said and they both scurried to join her. "We'll come up with something to keep Mack and the rest of the campus off you two…" She looked at them with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Maybe, concealing those hickeys on your necks would be a good start."

Jemma flushed, wrapping her hands around her neck and Bobbi laughed.

-:-

Fitz watched as Bobbi joked and talked with Jemma and felt a warm rush in his chest.

Bobbi was like family and if she liked Jemma and wanted to help them be together, maybe they could manage it.

They could try this.

"Fitz?" He looked up and found Jemma staring at him. She smiled softly and he could help but mirror her.

"I'm coming," he said and, in a spur of the moment, seeing that there wasn't anyone around but Bobbi, he gave her a quick kiss.

Jemma blushed, still smiling, and he felt almost dizzy with giddiness. He noticed that Bobbi was looking at them with a grin and he knew that things would be alright.

Everything would be alright.

* * *

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